The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a functional block diagram of an engine system 100 is presented. Air is drawn into an engine 102 through an intake manifold 104. A throttle valve 106 controls airflow into the engine 102. A throttle actuator module 108 controls the throttle valve 106 and, therefore, the airflow into the engine 102. The throttle actuator module 108 may include, for example, an electronic throttle controller (ETC). The air mixes with fuel from one or more fuel injectors 110 to form an air/fuel mixture. A fuel actuator module 111 controls the fuel injectors 110.
The air/fuel mixture is combusted within one or more cylinders 112 of the engine 102. Combustion of the air/fuel mixture may be initiated by, for example, injection of the fuel or spark provided by a spark plug 114. In spark ignition engine systems, a spark actuator module 116 controls the spark provided by the spark plug 114.
Combustion of the air/fuel mixture produces torque and exhaust gas. More specifically, torque is generated via heat release and expansion during combustion of the air/fuel mixture within the cylinders. Torque is transferred by a crankshaft 118 of the engine 102 through a driveline (not shown) to one or more wheels to propel a vehicle. The exhaust is expelled from the cylinders to an exhaust system 120.
An engine control module (ECM) 130 controls the torque output of the engine 102. For example, the ECM 130 controls the torque output of the engine 102 based on driver inputs and/or other inputs. A driver input module 132 provides the driver inputs to the ECM 130. The driver inputs may include, for example, accelerator pedal position, brake pedal position, cruise control inputs, and/or other suitable driver inputs. The other inputs may include, for example, inputs from various sensors and/or inputs from other controllers (not shown), such as a transmission control module, a hybrid control module, and a chassis control module.